While the original summer buyout window passed us all by before the start of free agency, teams who had salary arbitration cases to deal with are allowed a second kick at the can a few days after their disputes have been resolved, through rulings or settlements.

With Peter Holland, Frank Corrado, and Martin Marincin's cases now behind the Leafs, their window opened up today, giving them 48 hours to decide whether they'd like to part ways with one of their players. We hinted a bit at the value of this a few days ago, but today, we're going to combine two of our posts into one for the sake of outlining a potential white-hat gaming of the salary cap.

The Arizona Coyotes placed Antoine Vermette on waivers today for the purpose of buyout. Vermette is nearing the end of a very successful NHL career, that includes over 900 regular-season games and a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks. Edmonton employed a tragic third and fourth line last season, can Vermette help?

Laurent Brossoit (photo by Mark Williams) is in the mix for an NHL job this fall, as he and Jonas Gustavsson will be vying for the backup job to Cam Talbot. The AHL and ECHL nets are also in play, and with the summer's work (at this position) likely completed, let's have a look at the Oilers in goal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot invested in their young core, both figuratively and literally. The team is looking to its youth to re-ignite the once great franchise, building themselves up from within through scouting and player development to create a sustainable environment for long-term success.

They've also made a lot of promises to players if they're good and have brought in a few players who had those promises attached to them. Listed below is every potential performance bonus that the Leafs could end up paying over the next three seasons.

With the signing of David Musil, Oilers fans get the sixth (and possibly) final look at a young defenseman who holds a lot of his value in the defensive end. One of the frustrating knowledge crevices of the game in terms of analytics is defensive defensemen. I am a big believer in the value of defensive defenseman, and a big believer in waiting five years before making a call on prospects. For David Musil, the five years since his draft day are in the books. Where is he?